


The Rat King

by thefuckistevvs



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Blood, Body Horror, Body transformation but like painful not sexy, Eventual Sex, M/M, Monster Boyfriends, Size Difference, Violence, unless you're into that i guess, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2019-10-18 02:16:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17572409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefuckistevvs/pseuds/thefuckistevvs
Summary: All this blood.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A tale as old as time.
> 
>  
> 
> OKAY FUCK ITS HERE. ITS FINALLY HERE. I've been thinking and working on this AU for a long while but i wanted to finish He of Cloven hoof first before tackling this. but its here!!! yay!!! im so hype!!!  
> so, yeah! its beauty and the beast AU, my dudes!! I super cant wait. This is gonna be fun, i love beauty and the beast kinda story. I hope you guys like it too!!
> 
> A disclaimer, too. Bianca Keaton is gonna be on this story- however! that doesnt mean that this story is tied to My Kingdom for a Pig (where she originally appears). She is the same character but in another story- the reason for this? I love Bianca so bad. God i really love her, so I saw the opportunity to use her in this scenario, and I took it.  
> This story may have some similarities to MKFAP- but its a diferent story but with kind of a similar idea- i mean, the point of Beauty and Beast is that the beast was a prince, right? 
> 
> So- while in mkfap it was prince AU- and in this one the characters are also part of royalty, this is not a continuation of that story. Now, an AU? Maybe! But basically, dont think "oh no this is happening i thought they had a happy ending!" this is a dif story hehe.
> 
> Anyways, here it is! thank you for reading and i hope y'all like it!!!

All this blood.

 

The train of her dress soaked in it as she ran. Screams for help echoed through the hallways, begging for someone to save them. She had taken off her high heels, blood and dirt covering the soles of her feet. 

She didn’t care to lift her dress as she ran. She tried to not listen to the screams of agony and terror around her, even if it made her throat close and her stomach go cold. She had to reach him. She had to make sure he was alright. 

The young woman was taking a night stroll before the big event when she felt it. There was no way to describe it apart from unadulterated horror. Something changed, but she didn’t know _what_ , but deep in her bones she knew something was wrong. Something terrible happened. 

It was supposed to be a party. A ball, celebrating the young prince that would soon become a King. The people that were on the castle were writhing on the floor, choking on blood and dying. The women elegant gowns were covered in blood as they morphed and twitched. The men coats and vests were getting torn apart by their own hands, hallucinating in pain. 

She quickly thought of her parents. Were they there? Were they dying, too? Was her mother’s gown soaked on her own blood? Was her father tearing his own skin apart? But she remembered- they were not there. They couldn’t have come. Her mother was bed bound, pregnant. Her father stayed behind to look for her. They were not there. They were safe.  
But what would become of her, then? Would she morph and shift into death itself? Was she going to die? Adrenaline pumped through her body, she couldn’t stop to think about her own mortality. She had to find him. She had to find her prince. 

She moved fast through the corridors. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears and her chest hurt. Her teeth were bared as she ran as fast as she could towards his chamber.   
The doors leading to it were covered in bloody hand prints. Moans and pained howls came from inside.

She threw the doors open, stepping inside the room. The delicate curtains were torn apart, the bed sheets were destroyed. The flower vases laid shattered on the ground, expensive ornaments had been destroyed. Blood was spread across the room.

“Oh God!” she gasped as she stepped inside, sweat rolling down the back of her neck. At the other side of the room, something had dragged the bed sheets to cover itself with. It twitched, moaned and howled in pain as it continued to grow. “Oh God!”

She quickly approached it, unafraid of what could hide under the sheets. She grabbed them and quickly ripped them off the creature, revealing what was hiding under.

“Oh- Oh God!” 

Bone jutted out of its skin, it morphed. Limbs stretched all over the place, painful and horrible. It morphed, skin stretching until it was about to rip, hair growing like spines out of the skin. It cried as it cowered on the corner, trying to get away from the woman.

“P-please, kill me!” It screamed in pain. 

She fell backwards as it continued to grow tall, until it barely fit in the room. Blood poured out of its mouth as he screamed. 

“Please! Please kill me!”

Bianca Keaton stared at her fiance, as he turned into a monster. 

 

Everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White snow covered the roads, houses and trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako is just a hunter.
> 
> Hello!!! new chapter of this. Posting as is a bit raw cus that's how we're swinging, baby!!! but im gonna get a beta im promis lkajsldkfjslkjfadlka
> 
> Anyways i hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! we're gonna get into the meat of the story soon ;DDDD
> 
> thank you for reading and i hope y'all like it!

White snow covered the roads, houses and trees. It had just started to snow last night, and the town was already covered in it. 

By morning it stopped snowing, but the cool air still stung the eyes. Several people were shoveling the snow out of the roads, to let the horses and people walk safely.

The market was as busy as always, several people selling clothes and blankets to ward off the cold, as well as food and meat. The women and men were red faced from the cold, their breaths visible on the cool air. 

Mako only needed few things, and then he would get back home.

He didn’t need wood- he was good with an axe and got as much wood as he needed for the winter and, if he needed more, he could easily get it himself. He didn’t need food- as a hunter, he made sure to stock up on meat before the winter came. 

Mako made his way through the people and stalls. Even though he was covered in several layers to ward off the cold, his nose stung due to the cold air, and his thick lips were chapped.   
He quickly reached the hunting store, stepping inside while a bell announced his arrival.

“G’morning, Rutledge.” The old, rugged man behind the counter greeted. He looked almost as old as Mako, face decorated with a wide scar across his eye. A hunter, like Mako.

“Morning,” Mako greeted silently. 

He was quick in his trip. Hunting bait, bundles of arrows, lantern oil and fishing bait. That should be enough for a while.

“You didn’t stock up for winter?” the scarred hunter asked as Mako paid him. 

“Yes. Just in case.”

“Fun fishing at this time of the year. Have you tried Hermit’s lake? Several good fish this time of the year. Lake gets frozen, but make a hole in the middle of it and go crazy. Good way to pass the time.”

“Will keep in mind. Thanks,” Mako huffed as he grabbed everything he bought, stuffing it into his back and getting out of the store.

That was really the only thing he needed. He lollygagged in the market, no intention of buying but keeping an eye out in case he found something worthwhile.  
He ended up buying a bag of chocolate and some booze.

It began to snow just as he got on his horse. He was a very, very big man. Lucky for him, his horse Maximus was a Draft Horse- a Shire, and a huge one. A giant horse for a giant man- quite appropriate.

His cabin was at the outskirts of the town, away from the rest of the people. Not far enough to be labeled a hermit, however. 

Once he arrived home he placed Maximus in his shed, and went inside. 

 

\---

Winter, while beautiful, was also boring.

Mako always spent so much time making sure he was prepared for winter, that when it was finally here he was bored out of his mind. 

He had planned on going to Hermit lake and fish all day, but a snow storm hit. He was pretty much forced to stay inside until the storm stopped. He spent all day reading and eating chocolates, candy and drinking some booze. 

The storm didn’t stop until the odd hours of the morning. Mako had to shovel his way out of his house. There was no damage to his home, and Maximus was okay, so everything seemed fine. A very thick layer of snow covered everything, however.

Maybe he could finally go fishing. 

 

Lake Hermit wasn’t too far away. The surface was frozen solid- the Hunter had said to make a hole in the middle of the lake, and fish. 

He pressed one boot against the surface, but it creaked and broke. The ice wasn’t thick enough to hold his weight. He was slightly confused, but it made perfect sense. The old Hunter was several kilos lighter than Mako. 

Mako pressed his luck. He put one foot on the ice, his other one on land, testing just how strong the ice was. Not strong enough, however, when the ice cracked underneath his foot. 

Annoyed, he stomped on the ice breaking the surface. His plans were ruined, and he would have to figure out another way to spend the winter without dying of boredom. He rode Maximus and started to slowly walk back home, thinking. Maybe he could take on knitting. 

The road was caked with snow. Maximus was able to ride through it without much issue, but the storm had made its damage on the forest. 

As they made their way through the road, something snapped. A tree, damaged by the storm ripped out of the ground and fell just in front of them, slamming against the snow and making the ground shake.

“Shit!” Mako yelped, and Maximus freaked out. The horse ran off to a random directly, terrified.

“Whoa! Whoa, easy, easy!” Mako soothed, pulling on the reins harshly. Maximus stopped while neighing loudly, still scared. “Easy, Maximus. Easy, easy.”

The horse finally calmed down a little. They were a little bit off the road, but Mako could see the main trail from where they were. 

“Alright, come on-” Before they started going towards the road, Mako noticed something strange in the snow.

Something lumpy laid under the thick layer of snow, and at first Mako thought it was a rock, but it looked to be slightly moving. 

Curious, Mako got off the horse and walked towards the lump. Maybe a dead animal- his trip to the lake wouldn’t have been a waste after all. 

However when he wiped the snow off the figure, instead of an animal a young woman laid in the snow, skin extremely cold and pale. 

“God,” Mako whispered. At first he thought the woman was dead but she took a short breath when moved by Mako. She was freezing. 

He quickly took off his thick fur coat and covered the woman in it. He was much bigger than her, so the coat covered her from head to toe. He quickly made his way to Maximus, one hand on the rein and the other one holding the woman close. 

Mako only hoped he wasn’t too late to saving her. 

\---

“Where did you find her?”

The doctor was carefully inspecting the young maiden. She was wrapped in several layers of fur blankets, coats- anything to get her to warm up. Her pale face was regaining color, and the tip of her nose was red. 

“Near Hermit lake, off the road. She was covered in snow.”

“After further inspection, she doesn’t seem to have any wounds on her. She doesn’t look like she was attacked. The snow storm from last night must have been at fault.”

The doctor, an old woman, had coming rushing when Mako informed her of the situation. She spent the day making sure the young woman was alright.

“She doesn’t look from around here. Must have been traveling when the snowstorm happened.” The doctor sighed. “She should be fine. Needs to keep warm and hydrated. I’ll stay here until she wakes up.”

“You’ll stay here?” Mako asked, slightly irritated.

“Do you really think it is a good idea to have her wake up, alone, in a room with a hunter?” She stared at him. “No offense, Rutledge, but I would be terrified too.”

“Fair enough.”

“She needs to eat, who knows since when she has eaten.”

“I’ll make some soup.”

Mako left the room. He had left the bedroom for the young woman and the doctor, figuring his bed was better for her. 

 

He chopped up some venison and vegetables, putting them in a big pot over the fire. While the soup was cooking Mako could hear soft voices coming from inside the room. The young woman must have woken up. 

Mako finished making the soup and poured some of it into a soup bowl. He went over to the bedroom, but before he knocked the door opened just slightly. The doctor had folded clothes on her hands. 

“Could you please put these to dry? They’re the only clothes she has.”

“Sure, give this to her.”

Mako gave her the soup bowl, and she gave him the clothes, before closing the door. 

He unfolded the clothes to place next to the fire, and Mako had a chance to examine it. 

It was a beautiful dress. Worn out and old- he spotted some holes in the fabric, but the cloth was very elegant and beautiful. Looked like a very, very expensive hand-down, the fabric still sparkling slightly. Mako could only imagine how old it must be. 

He placed it next to the fire for it to warm up, getting a bowl of soup for himself and eating while staring at the fire.

About half hour later, the door opened slightly once again. Mako went over to talk with the doctor.

“She seems fine. I explained her the situation, and while tired, she seems to be perfectly okay.”

“That’s great,” Mako sighed, glad that the young woman is fine.

“She wants to thank you.”

 

Mako stepped inside the room. The young woman was lying on his bed, the sheets covering up her chin. She looked exhausted and looked at Mako.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hello… um-”

“Name is Mako.” 

“You saved me…? What-”

“Found you in the snow, passed out. You were caught up in the storm?”

“My horse. We were… the snow suddenly-”

“Now, now, don’t strain yourself,” the doctor interrupted her. “You need to rest.”

“When can I leave?” the young woman whispered, voice hoarse.

“You still have to rest. You may be able to leave as soon as you feel better.”

“I’m better. I just-”

“You can’t leave in these conditions. You have to rest. Now, why don’t you tell us where you are from?”

The young woman bit her lip.

“No, I- I can’t do that, I-”

“That’s alright. What about your name? Can you tell us your name?”

She looked at the doctor, and nodded.

“My name is Bianca.”

\---

“Thank you for your help, Doctor.” Mako gave the woman a bag of coins. She took it, happily.

“Please, just call me Beth. And no issues. Always glad to help. She should be fine in about two days. She won’t say where she is from, but you can just direct her towards the town once she is well.”

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

Beth nodded, and left on her own horse. 

This would be an interesting winter. 

Once he was back inside his home, he served more of the soup in the bowl. He knocked on the room just before he stepped inside, leaving the bowl of soup next to the woman.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she said but Mako could still see her exhaustion in her eyes. 

“What was a young woman like you doing in the middle of a snowstorm?”

“None of your business.”

Mako would have felt offended, but she was right. It was none of his business.

“I’ll leave the soup there. You rest.”

Bianca just nodded. Mako let her be, and left. 

It was very late at this point. His bed was occupied so instead he sat on the couch. Taking a deep breath, he reclined his head against the pillow of the couch. 

Before he knew it he had fallen asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was awoken by the loud sound of the stable doors slamming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako gets into trouble.
> 
> Hello!!! Here is another chapter!! Im p excited about this fic, and i hope you guys are also too!!! 
> 
> shot out to my gf Trish who beta read this chapter! love you bby!!
> 
> thank you for reaidng and i hope y'all like it!

He was awoken by the loud sound of the stable doors slamming. 

Mako’s mind jumped to robbers. Pretty damn fucking stupid robbers, of course. He jumped off the couch, his back protesting, and quickly made his way outside. 

It was still dark out, but he managed to just see the faint light of a lantern as the robbers rode away. 

“Fuck,” Mako whispered as he ran to the stable. 

They took Maximus. 

Mako’s mind was frantic, several thoughts popping into his head. If they were robbers, why did they just take Maximus? Were they planning on selling him? He was a very rare breed; it wouldn’t be too out of the question. 

Cursing, Mako ran back inside. These fuckers wouldn’t get away with stealing from _him_.

He needed to hurry before the trail went cold. Maximus was fast, but Mako was an exceptional hunter; tracking him would not be hard, especially if the idiot who stole him didn’t know how to handle such a huge horse. 

As he put on his coat and retrieved his bow and arrows, Mako realized that the dress he had placed next to the fireplace was gone. Did the robbers steal it, too? Mako supposed they went inside first. But why steal an old dress? Sure, it looked expensive, but-

Mako’s stomach went cold.

He slammed open the door of his bedroom and his suspicions were proven. Bianca was gone. She had eaten the bowl of soup Mako left her and the bed was undone, but there was no trace of the woman. 

Son of a bitch.

“Shit.” Mako grabbed everything he needed and took a quick glance around the room.

Everything of value was still there. The woman hadn’t bothered stealing anything but Mako’s horse. But why?

Mako realized he didn’t actually care to know, and instead just put on his coat and quickly went outside, lantern in hand. He made sure to lock his cabin; he wasn’t actually too sure how long this would take him, but Mako was sure he wouldn’t let the woman steal his horse. 

\---

Several thoughts crossed his mind as he continued to track Maximus down. Was all of it just a ruse? Pretending she was injured so she could rob the people that helped her blind? But that didn’t make sense. If that was the case, Bianca would have stolen everything she could carry. 

And, besides, she had looked pretty injured. Maybe it was just a coincidence and she hadn’t intended to rob him. But then why did she steal his horse? Maybe she just didn’t trust Mako at all and decided to leave. The little shred of sympathy Mako had was lost, however, when he remembered that she _stole_ from him. No one stole from Mako Rutledge, not even injured young women. 

Whatever reason she had, Mako didn’t give a shit. 

The woman never said where she was from, and Mako was expecting the tracking to go for several days. It wasn’t hard; Maximus was a huge horse that required experience to properly ride. Such a tiny woman would obviously have issues with it. 

He found several spots where the horse had stopped abruptly and thrown his rider. Mako couldn’t say he felt bad about it. 

 

After two days on the trail, he realized the horse had gone off the road. The woman probably got lost or couldn’t keep control of Maximus. He continued forward into the deep woods, the sun setting as he moved on. 

The path seemed to continue through the deep forest and onto an old road. Stone decorations had been swallowed by vines and moss, others crumbling apart from sheer age. The road seemed to have been abandoned for a very long time. 

The trail indicated that the horse had gone down the road. Mako pressed on with lantern in hand, determined to find the woman. 

The road continued for a long while. Hidden between the trees he could see horse carriages, abandoned and destroyed by neglect. 

“Hmph.”

After walking for a while he arrived at a huge gate, rusted and abandoned but elegant underneath the dirt and moss. There was a family crest on the bars, but Mako couldn’t recognize it. Beyond the gate, he could see a huge, imposing castle. At first Mako thought it might be abandoned, but from where he was he could see a few lights among the thousands of windows.

Upon further inspection, the gate itself had been used recently; there was not as much rust or moss covering them compared to the surrounding stone. He could see Maximus’ hoof prints in the snow mixed with dirt beyond the gate. Bianca had come here.

Is this where she lived? Hidden inside a huge, abandoned castle?

He bit his lip. He opened the gate, which creaked under his hand as he opened it just enough for him to squeeze through. 

The courtyard was full of more broken-down carriages. Vegetation had claimed the area; beautiful, elegant statues were covered in moss and vines, trees having grown from the carcasses of the carriages. 

Honestly, it was very creepy.

As Mako ventured further, he was slightly perplexed. This castle wasn’t too far away from his town, and yet he had never heard of it. It seemed to have been untouched since it was abandoned and, to be fair, it was very well-hidden. But still, the existence of such a thing was a surprise to him. 

The trail ended at the front door of the castle, but Maximus was nowhere around. His first instinct was to go inside, and thankfully, the door was unlocked. Carefully, he opened the door just a smidge to look inside. 

The main entrance was gently lit by candles. The wallpaper was charming but decayed, ripped apart at some sections. Mako carefully slipped inside. He wanted to find Bianca, but the castle was far too big. It would take him hours to find her.

Well, she stole from him. Maybe he could steal from her, too.

With that thought in mind, Mako ventured forward, trying to find something of value he could fit in his bag before finding his horse and getting out of there. 

 

“Shit,” he grunted as several rats ran across the floor, squeaking as they passed by Mako.   
They were huge, almost the size of hares. Mako considered shooting one, just to show to other hunters later, but decided against it. 

As he walked around the main entrance Mako could feel his anxiety rise up. Patches of dried blood decorated the walls at points, claw-like marks scoring the paintings and wallpaper in the lobby. The floor tiles were cracked, as if someone had smashed them with something heavy.

Mako could tell something must have happened there, something horrible. 

He moved on from the main lobby to other rooms, but every room was similar; the hallways had claw marks across the floors and walls, huge rats running around and away from Mako. 

He couldn’t find many valuable things. The paintings had been destroyed and the statues were shattered. He could perhaps steal some of the elegant, untouched furniture, but it would be a hassle to bring back home. Perhaps the upper levels of the castle would have things worth stealing.

The further he ventured, the more the rats he found. The place looked like it was infested, what with so many of them running around. Mako scoffed, slightly disgusted. How could such a young woman live in such a place? Where was she, anyways?

Everything about the castle gave him chills, and Mako was starting to consider that this wasn't a good idea. Maybe he should just give up on the robbery, look for Maximus, and leave. But just as he was about to make his way to the front door, he heard noises from one of the top floors. 

The anger over being robbed after saving the girl came back. Kicking away the rats, he moved towards the second floor of the castle, where everything seemed to be in the same state as the ground floor. 

He could still hear noises coming from the rooms. Something too big to be a rat; it was most definitely Bianca. Mako ignored the claw marks, the rats, and the destroyed paintings as he moved forward, trying to find the young woman. 

It was a maze of hallways and rooms, but he kept following the noises up another floor, starting to get pretty infuriated by both the girl and the fact that there wasn’t anything worth stealing.

The sounds led him to a room, its door bigger than the others’. Claw marks had carved it, but Mako ignored them as he opened the door forcefully. 

“Found you, you little shit,” he whispered as he stepped inside the room.

It was very big, most likely the main bedroom, shrouded in darkness. The mattress had been completely destroyed, laying on the floor and propped against a wall. The rest of the furniture had been thrown around as though in a rampage. Next to a broken window he could see a silhouette, hunched over. 

“You think you can steal from me?” He stomped inside, stepping over some glass.

The dark figure uncurled, hissing as it stood to its full height.

Mako realized very quickly that it was not Bianca.

Mako quickly retrieved his bow, but the creature lurched forward, hissing. He ran out of the room and down the hallway, quickly turning as he loaded his bow and the creature slammed itself against the wall. It was then that Mako got a proper look at the monster: a huge rat, with daggers and arrows poking out of its back. 

Before Mako could examine it further, the Rat regained its bearings, chasing after him. He shot at it, but missed completely.

“Shit-” He ran off as fast as he could, the Rat wasting no time going after him and screeching all the while. 

It caught up to him, pushing Mako to the floor and forcing him down. Mako’s head hit slammed into the stone, making him see stars as he was turned around. The Rat was on top of him, its maw open as it screeched. Its claws were raised up, ready to strike at Mako. 

As it attacked, Mako rolled away, avoiding the claws by inches. He quickly retrieved his dagger, but the Rat slapped it away as it prepared to kill Mako. It grabbed him by the shoulders, slamming him to the ground several times until Mako’s vision went blurry. Mako closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he waited for the final blows to come.

“Wait! Stop! Stop!” 

The blow didn’t come, and Mako opened his eyes to see the Rat staring at something in the distance. 

“Stop! Don’t, don’t kill him!” 

He followed the Rat’s gaze and saw Bianca running towards them. 

“Don’t kill him! He is the man that saved me from the storm!”

To Mako’s horror, the Rat spoke.

“You brought him here?!”

“I didn’t! He must have followed me. I am not an idiot!”

“Then why is he here?!”

“She stole my horse!” Mako yelled, voice raspy and heart racing. 

“I stole, I stole his horse,” Bianca whispered, realizing how stupid she had been. “I stole his stupid horse, and he came here to take it back.”

The Rat turned back to Mako, still pinning him down. Its eyes looked human and there was a humanoid aspect to its body, but its claws still were scratching Mako’s skin too dangerously for him to care. “Why are you here?!”

“I came back for my fucking horse!” Mako yelled back. 

“They why did you shoot an arrow at me?!”

“Because you were going to kill me, you imbecile!” 

A smaller rat scurried along the floor, and the Rat went to grab it. It almost crushed it in its claws, squeezing it dangerously. “Why didn’t you tell me there was an intruder, you stupid fuck? If I die, it’s the end for you, you vermin!”

It proceeded to throw the rat away as far as it could, slamming it against the wall. It slid down, struggled to its feet, and squeaked away.

Mako was going to die there. 

“These rats are getting less useful by the day,” Bianca sighed as the smaller rat scurried away.

The Rat hissed in frustration and stood up to its full height. It was way taller than Mako, and it grabbed him by the neck.

“Are you going to kill him?” Bianca stated. 

“Or what, let him go?! Let him tell everybody about this fucking place?!” He was ready to gut Mako. He had to do something. 

“I’m a hunter,” Mako stated.

“I don’t give a shit.”

“If you, if you kill me, more hunters will come here. More men, with swords and arrows and-and more. More people will come here.”

The Rat stared at him with its human eyes, clearly debating it.

“He saved my life,” Bianca interrupted. “If you kill him-”

“I’m thinking!” the Rat screeched. It looked like it was having an internal fight with itself, deciding what to do with Mako. Even if what he said was a lie, it seemed to have bought him some time. 

“Come on,” the Rat said, opening a door to one of the many rooms. Mako was shoved inside and the door slammed shut behind him. “I’ll figure out what to do with you later.”

Mako’s heart was beating so fast he thought he would have a heart attack. He felt dizzy, his mind going hundreds of miles per hour. 

“Bianca, what the fuck!” he could hear them outside. 

“What did you want me to do about it, Jamison?! Tell him ‘oh yeah, bring me by the creepy abandoned castle’ or something?! I didn’t expect him to come looking for his horse!”

He heard them walk away, leaving him inside of the room.

Mako was left alone with his thoughts as he tried to rationalize everything that had just happened. He panted, sweat rolling down the back of his neck as he was left with only the name of the creature.

Jamison.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a fucking nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako devices a plan to escape.
> 
> Hello!!! life has been busy, but i havent forgotten about this!!! i have big plans for this ;0 but yeah my life has been very busy and kind of anxiety rn, thanks for sticking with me. 
> 
> Shotout to my gf Trish who is my beta! thank u bby ilu!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you guys like it!

What a fucking nightmare.

Mako stood up and immediately tried to open the door. It was locked, obviously. He considered bringing it down, giving it an exploratory shoulder thrust. The door rattled, but didn’t budge. It was very sturdy; he would need a running start.

Before doing that, he studied his surroundings. A small bedroom filled with dusty, rat dropping-encrusted furniture, ragged but far more intact than the room in which he’d found the Rat.

He needed to get out of there, but he had to consider his next move very carefully. The rats patrolled the hallways and could alert the Rat if he broke down the door. 

He approached one of the room’s windows. He was on the second floor; not too big of a drop, but enough to break his legs despite the cushion of snow. The sheets had been eaten by moths and rats, so he didn’t think he would be able to use them as a makeshift rope, especially considering his weight.

Mako weighed his options. If he brought down the door, there was a high chance the rats would alert Jamison and Bianca, and sneaking through the labyrinthine castle while avoiding both them and the rat patrols would be a nightmare.

Climbing down would be far better, but he was a little too worried about falling. He had climbed up and down cliffs and taller buildings before, but it had been a few years. Still, it seemed like the smartest choice. 

He took off his leather gloves and climbed out the window. Slowly but steadily, he descended without looking down. The bricks were jagged and irregular from wear, making it easier to find hand- and footholds. 

Still, it was difficult. Mako gritted his teeth as he climbed down, fingertips hurting as they dug into the decaying breaks. He figured he was at least halfway down when his feet slipped.

He attempted to grab on as he fell but failed, falling through the air in panic. The wind whistled in his ears as he finally slammed against the soft snow.

It hurt a _lot_ , though nothing felt broken. His vision was blurry and the fall knocked the wind out of him, but he was alive.

Mako stood up slowly, checking to ensure that he wasn't too hurt. His hands were scraped and bleeding from attempting to hang onto the wall, but apart from that and a very sore back, he was fine. 

As he recovered and made to run, a small building on the side caught his attention. Judging by the abandoned carriages and the hay outside, he guessed it was the stables.  
He quickly approached the building and discovered that he was right. 

Maximus’ head poked out from one of the stalls, and he immediately huffed as he saw Mako. Mako approached him, stroking the horse’s nose carefully.

“Shhh, shhh, I’m here, Maximus. I’m here.” 

There were other horses inside the stalls, all of which looked well-fed and taken care of. Mako didn’t care; he forced open the stall and let Maximus outside. 

He mounted the horse and bolted as fast as they could go. They passed through the gate and towards the forest until they reached the main road.

Time to go home.

\---

The first thing Mako did when he returned home was make sure Maximus would drink and eat. He didn’t know if Bianca had kept him fed and hydrated, and he wasn’t going to risk it. 

Once that was done, Mako retreated to his cabin. His back was starting to really hurt, stinging when he touched it. He undressed, his back facing the mirror. It was covered in bruises and scratches. He didn’t seem to be bleeding too badly from the few cuts. It was very painful, but he would survive.

But he couldn’t stay there. Mako had no idea how long it would take for Bianca and the Rat to realize he was gone, and they would hunt him down. Bianca knew where to find him, so it was only a matter of time. 

He didn’t want to think of himself as a sentimental man, but knowing he would have to leave the small town made his heart ache. It would be a difficult trip, and Mako wasn’t even sure where he would go, but he couldn’t stay there.

By the time he finished packing it was night time. He knew he had to leave, to ride into the darkness. But he was far too fond of that town; he figured taking a ten-minute detour wouldn’t hurt. So instead of riding towards the highway, he rode Maximus into town and to the local tavern. One last drink for the road. 

The place was as lively as ever, the chatter leaking outside along with the music. No one paid him any attention as he entered the tavern and approached the bar.

“G’d evenin’, Rutledge,” the bartender said softly. “What do ya want?”

“Just one beer, Gustav.” He placed the money on the counter. The bartender took it and offered a heady pour in return.

“Hey, ya got someone waiting for you,” Gustav said as he poured the drink in the glass.

“What?”

“Young woman with blue eyes and short black hair. Didn’t know ya had a daughter.”

“A-” Mako felt like the entire world was shaking. “What?”

Gustav placed the pint of beer in front of Mako and pointed a long finger at the farthest booth. Cold sweat ran down Mako’s back as he turned around and saw a cloaked figure sitting there. 

“She came here about half an hour ago, asking for ya. Told ‘er ya normally come here most nights to have dinner or a drink, so she decided to wait for you. I knew you were secretive, but I didn’t figure you were hiding a whole daughter!” Gustav chuckled, while Mako tried not to freak out.

“I, uh.” He coughed. “She lived with her mother. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Mako could have run off then, but if Bianca was there, maybe the horde of rats was waiting for him outside. Maybe the Rat was there, waiting to kill him the second he stepped through the door. 

God, he should have just skipped town. 

There was no other option but to approach Bianca. After all, she knew where he lived. Her not coming to his home and killing him right there probably meant she had something to say. Hopefully.

He grabbed his pint and sat down in the booth directly in front of Bianca. A glass of wine and a half-eaten plate of steak sat in front of her.

“Evenin’,” he greeted as he drank some of his beer. 

Bianca pulled down the hood of her cloak, revealing her pale and beautiful face. “Good evening.”

“So.” Mako felt very uncomfortable. “You realized I had left.”

“We realized about an hour later. I have more horses, so I just followed you here.” She held the glass of wine between her fingers and drank it delicately. “Was told you hang out here, so I waited.”

“You know where I live. Why didn’t you reach me there?”

“Figured it would be less risky with an audience.”

Mako’s lower lip trembled, unsure. “Audience?”

“I knew you would freak out if I appeared in your home all of a sudden. That’s the last thing we need. I value my life.”

“Funny, I thought you would be the one trying to kill me.”

“Are you going to give me a reason to?”

Mako said nothing, taking a swig of his pint. “What do you want?” he asked as he nearly slammed the glass on the table. 

“Obviously, to take you back to the castle.” 

Mako grunted, crossing his arms. “You’re taking me back?”

“There’s also the alternative.”

A big rat crawled up to the table and stared at Mako with its red eyes. A threat.

“And what? You’re going to eviscerate me there? Keep me in the castle for eternity?” 

“Actually,” she leaned close, her blue eyes staring up at Mako, “I wanted to make you a proposition.”

Mako said nothing, staring down at her. 

“You are a hunter, are you not? And a good tracker. You tracked me to my castle.”

“Yes. I am.” Mako crossed his arms. “Need to hunt something?”

“Someone.”

Mako fell silent, the chatter of the drunk patrons deafening him.

“Have you hunted men before, Rutledge?” 

“What business is it of yours?”

“Perhaps we can help each other. You help us, we don’t kill you.”

Mako tilted his head. “Who do you want to kill that cannot be killed with your horde of rats?”

“A mage.”

Mako chuckled. 

“Sure, and the tooth fairy, too?”

“How can you be so cynical after seeing Jamison?”

She had a point. 

“Okay. Why do you want to kill this mage?”

“If they die, the curse will be broken. We will be free.”

“Curse?”

Bianca reclined in her seat, drinking a bit of her wine. 

“It is a very long story.”

“Make it short. If you want me to hunt this man, I must know.”

“Mako, do you know about Prince Jamison Fawkes?”

Before Mako could think about what she had asked, the door opened with a loud bang. The chatter turned into loud hollering, impossible to ignore.

“We’re home, boys!” a familiar loud voice yelled, followed by cheers and whoops from the patrons.

Mako turned his head around to the source of the noise. A group of hunters were making their way through, their boots full of dirt and coats full of snow and blood. They were triumphant, carrying dead birds and deer with them. 

It was Bruno’s group of hunters. Mako knew them well, as did the entire town. They must have been returning from their latest hunting trip. Mako just sighed and finished his drink. 

“Look at what I got!” the leader, Bruno, yelled as he slammed a huge dead boar on one of the tables. The corpse crushed the wooden table, bringing it to the floor. People cheered as blood splattered and started to leak through the floorboards.

“Lovely,” Bianca sighed, rolling her eyes. 

“You were saying?” Mako tried to ignore the noise, but it was quite difficult.

“Short version: we have been cursed. We need to kill the man who did it so we can finally be free. You will help us.”

“Or you kill me, isn’t that right?”

Bianca nodded slowly.

“You don’t seem like the killing type.”

“You don’t know me at all. And who says I would personally kill you? We have an army of rats, you know. Or perhaps Jamison can kill you himself.”

“The rat’s name, Jamison. You mentioned Prince Jamison Fawkes?”

Mako was starting to connect the dots, but the bar was far too loud for him to actually concentrate on anything that was being said. Bianca was getting more and more frustrated as well, biting her lip and shooting glances towards the culprits.

“Enough. We will continue this conversation elsewhere,” she huffed as she got ready to stand up, but before she could exit the booth, she was blocked by one of the hunters.

“Good evening, lass.” Bruno smiled crookedly, lips and eyes red. He was slightly intoxicated, Mako could tell. “New to this humble town?”

Bianca rolled her eyes and bit her lip. “Do you mind moving out of the way?”

“Rutledge, I didn’t know you had such beautiful daughters, you dog.” He chuckled loudly. Mako rubbed his eyes, annoyed. “Asked the bartender about this little pretty thing…Rutledge is your father, huh? Ya don’t look alike.”

“Do you mind? We must go, and you are blocking the way.”

“Do I know ya? You look a tad familiar.”

“Get out of the way,” she said firmly. 

Mako sighed, already getting up and ready to shove Bruno away, but the old hunter sensed what Mako was up to.

“What? We’re just chatting. Hey you, what do you say we go to my cabin, and get cozy?” He placed his hand on the table, completely blocking Bianca from squeezing away from the booth. 

She stared at him for several seconds. In a sudden swift movement, Bianca grabbed the steak knife on her plate, stabbing Bruno’s hand with it deep enough to pin him to the table. He immediately screamed, but before he could pull the knife free Bianca kicked him away. Bruno fell on the floor, and Bianca snatched Mako’s pint and smashed it hard across his face before he could react, shattering the glass and knocking the man unconscious with his hand still pinned to the table.

The entire tavern went quiet. Mako said nothing as Bianca stood up. “Time to go.” 

Mako nodded and stood up as well. Before the bartender could complain, Bianca threw at him a heavy pouch of gold, enough to fix whatever they just broke. 

As expected, the other hunters from Bruno’s group gathered around the door, blocking it as well. 

“Get out of the way,” Bianca hissed as Mako followed.

“She yours, Rutledge?” a hunter pointed at Bianca. 

“Any issue with that?” Mako replied with a deep voice.

Mako wasn’t exactly feared; he never gave anyone any reason to fear him apart from his intimidating look. He was bigger and stronger than them, and they knew it. 

“Aren’t you going to attend to your friend?” Mako moved his head, motioning towards Bruno, who was barely waking up from having a pint smashed into his face. They all quickly moved to help the old hunter, while Mako and Bianca slipped out of the tavern.

“Friend of yours?” she asked, nonchalant about what had just happened.

“The one you stabbed is a real asshole. Don’t mind him.”

“So, as I was saying, we will spare your life if you help us find and kill the mage who has cursed us.” She stood next to her horse. “I will give you more details in the castle.”

Mako was about to talk back, but then he saw it. The little red eyes, staring at him from the darkness. Dozens of pairs of red eyes staring, waiting for him to bolt. The rats were hoping for him to say no, ready to feast on him.

He took a deep breath.

“I’ve got no choice, do I?”

Bianca chuckled.

“No.”

**Author's Note:**

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